A Reason to Live
by DreamstoNightmares1
Summary: Dream is a bloodbender, the only bloodbender living after she kills her mom Hama. She finds Kira and they become friends after Dream tries to kill herself. Zuko, Kira, and the rest of the Gaang come together to defeat the firelord and restore the world to balance. But what happens afterwards? Dream- DreamstoNightmares1 Kira- filimeala. Read and Review please!
1. New Friends

Mother died last week, or was it the week before? I can't remember. All I remember is that she killed dad, so I killed her. But now I'm caged up. With fire nation thieves, war prisoners, and the guards watching my every move. I guess I deserve to be here, I'm just happy that Kira got away with Amaya. I hope they take care of each other. I also hope dad is proud of me. I think he would be...I hope so...

**Chapter 1: New friends.**

"Is that...Aang?!"

I turned my head to look where Katara was pointing.

"Dream! Look out!" I heard Haru yell. I looked over my shoulder and saw a firenation soldier running at me.

Before I could grab an arrow out of my bag I heard powerful wings and looked up.

"Grawk!" Amaya roared/squawked as she landed before me, and grabbed the soldier with her left front talons and threw him away as she turned to look at me.

"Good girl." I told her as I stroked her black striped orange feathers. I ran with her over to the Gaang.

"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire Palace City is abandoned." Aang said looking at us all with a disappointed face.

"They knew." Sokka said as a gasp.

"It's over. The firelord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse." Aang said as he moved his finger around in the dirt.

"No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker. Somewhere he could go and be safe during the eclipse, but still be able to lead his nation." Sokka said.

"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it." Toph said pointing to herself and smiling.

"The mechanists gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about 10 minutes until the full eclipse. 10 minutes to find the firelord." Sokka said taking out a device, showing it to all of us, and putting it away.

"We can still do this. We can still win the day." Aang said, hope filling his eyes.

"Wait. If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely." Katara said.

"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance, and there's still hope I think they would want Aang to go for it." Sokka and Katara's father said.

"What do you think?" Sokka asked as we all turned to look at Aang. "You're the one that has to face the firelord. Whatever you decide I'm with you."

"I've gotta try." Aang said standing up with a determined look on his face.

~X~

"Do you feel anything down there?" I asked Toph as they got off of Appa and I got off of Amaya.

"Yep. There are natural tunnels crisscrossing throughout the entire volcano." Toph replied as she bent down and touched the ground.

"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?" Sokka asked Toph as she dug her hands into the earth to get a better feel.

"There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano." Toph replied.

"Sounds like a secret bunker to me." Sokka said as Toph stood up and bended the earth away from a tunnel.

"Stay safe. We'll be back soon." Aang said to Appa and Momo as we ran into the tunnel with Amaya following behind us.

"This way, that one's a dead end." Toph said as she led us down a tunnel.

"What would we do without you?" Sokka asked as we followed her.

"Parish in burning hot magma." Toph replied.

"Yeah pretty much." Sokka said as he moved to avoid the magma on one wall of the tunnel.

"Hurry up." I said as I pushed him faster. "Amaya may deal with being underground, but not for long."

Sokka looked over my shoulder to see my tiger/eagle growling at him. He quickly followed Toph and Aang.

"The tunnel continues on the other side." Toph said pointing across the spewing little volcanoes area.

"We'll have to be fast, but careful." Sokka said as he jumped down into the area, almost being burned by a mini volcano. I shot an arrow quickly into extra clothing of his shirt and pulled him back before he could get burned.

"How was that careful?" I asked him as I pulled my arrow out and quickly re-tied the string around it.

"I was wrong. We need to be fast, careful, and lucky." Sokka said as we all ran out into the area and avoided the mini-volcanoes.

"There's no floor!" I said as we reached the end of the cave floor.

"It's just a pool of lava!" Sokka said.

"Climb aboard" Aang said to Sokka as he opened his glider. I grabbed Toph's hand and helped her onto Amaya's back.

"And hold on tight." I said as Amaya flew after Aang and Sokka.

Amaya landed next to Aang and we all ran forward.

"That's some door!" Sokka said as we came to the metal bunker and saw a very large door.

"Not a problem." Toph said after she banged on the door. She bended the metal door open.

"I am so glad we added you to the group!" Sokka said as we all followed Toph.

We all kept running until we heard a gasp from behind us. We all turned. Aang and Toph got ready to bend as Sokka took out his sword, and I pulled out an arrow and notched it, aiming it towards the man.

"The firelord's chamber is that way. Down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs. You can't miss it!" He said making motions with his hand and looking like he was about to pee his pants.

"Thanks." Aang said as we put our weapons away and ran to where the guy had pointed.

"Only 30 seconds until the total eclipse!" Sokka said as we reached another door.

"I'm ready. I'm ready to face the firelord!" Aang said as he airbended the door open.

_This is my chance. _I thought to myself as we saw a girl sitting there instead of the firelord. I quickly snuck away with Amaya and ran down the hall.

~X~

I stopped outside an open door as I felt two powerful male hearts beating. I turned to keep running when I felt the heartbeats jump up and saw a flash of blue. I looked back and saw a guy run into me.

"Hey! Watch-"

"No time! Run!" He said as he helped me up and took off running. I jumped on Amaya's back and followed after him. I held out my hand and he took it, jumping onto Amaya's back.

"I need to get to the prisoner holding area. I have to get someone there." He said to me as Amaya jumped out of the tunnel and into the city.

_Mother might be there. _I thought to myself as I pushed Amaya to run faster towards the building he was pointing to.

"My name's Dream by the way, and this is Amaya." I said to him as the building got bigger.

"I'm Zuko." He said.

"Ahh, the banished prince, and let me guess, you were fighting your dad?"

"Yes"

"And now you want to get your uncle, so you and him can join the avatar and save the world?"

"How did you-"

"Don't ask." I said cutting him off as Amaya stopped before the building. I jumped off her back and ran into the building.

_They're all firebenders! Every single- Wait! I feel a waterbender! _I thought to myself as I ran to the very last cell and saw a girl about my age laying on the floor, knocked out.

"Not mother...but...she looks familiar somehow." I thought out loud as I looked at her closely.

"She's from the South Pole!" I said as I recognized the outfit she was wearing to be the same as Katara's, with slight differences.

I bended the air around me to make an ice-key. I unlocked the cell door and picked the girl up.

I carried her to a window and called down to Amaya. She flew up and hooked her talons around the window bars and tore them off.

I tossed the girl to Amaya and she caught her arms with her talons. I jumped onto Amaya's back and she flew up into the clouds. We flew higher and I saw Zuko in a war-balloon. I saw Appa a good distance away and noticed that Zuko was following after him.

_She won't make it. _I said as I moved to see the still out-cold girl being held by Amaya's talons.

Amaya moved below the clouds and I looked around. I saw an island a decent distance away. I gently turned Amaya's head so she could see the island. She roar/squawked at me and flew towards the island.

"Don't worry." I whispered to the girl as the island got closer. "I'll make sure you end up back with your family."


	2. Awake

**Chapter 2: Awake**

**Kira P.O.V.**

"_Don't worry_," a voice whispered to me as I felt air rushing around me. "_I'll make sure you end up back with your family._" As those words drifted through my mind I hoped that they meant what they said. And then darkness swallowed me again.

I don't know how long it was, before I finally woke up. Everything hurt, and the light beyond my eyes, I knew would be blinding. Slowly I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was a tiger eagle looming over me. On instinct I reached out and hit it as hard as I could. Both I and the tiger eagle let out a sound of fear, or anger, which decidedly was the tiger eagle.

The tiger eagle lashed out at me, as I scrambled away from it on sand. But another yell filled the air as the tiger eagle came at me.

"Amaya! Stop!"

I breathed a sigh of relief as the tiger eagle, Amaya, backed off and went over to a girl, standing not far away from us. Immediately I was on edge.

It was then that I realized where I was. On a beach. Not a cell. I was in the sunlight, and not the dank confines of a prison. The big question running through my mind was, how did I get here?

"Who are you?" I asked the girl, flinching at the sound of my voice. It was raw, and my throat hurt. She eyed me warily as well, a hand on Amaya's head. She probably didn't like how I greeted the tiger eagle.

"I'm Dream," she told me, a little stiff. "And this is Amaya."

I looked at the two, finding that I was at a loss for words. It had been so long since I had been around two new people. Well, Amaya wasn't a human, but they were both new. Newer than the Warden at the prison.

"Who are you?" Dream asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

I cleared my throat, "Kira."

Her eyes traveled from my face down to my tattered clothing, and I subconsciously shrank away.

"Why were you in the prison?" she asked curiously. I looked down at my dirty hands, smeared with dirt.

"They caught me," I told her in a small voice. "I couldn't waterbend myself free, I had no water." It was every waterbenders nightmare to be stuck somewhere without water. She looked almost sympathetic, but still wary.

"Where are we?" I asked curiously.

She looked out over the water, eyes narrowing slightly. "Just an island," she told me. "We needed to land, you were hurt."

"Thank you, . . . how long was I out?" I asked.

"Give or take a day," she said. I detected some humor, but not much.

"Oh," was all I said.

Dream was looking off into the distance again, something on her face told me was thinking hard. I sat patiently, rubbing my wrists as I went through all that had happened in the past . . . four days?

I knew I had been in the Prison for a year. But the days were all muddled.

"We better get going," Dream said again, looking at me.

"Where?" I asked curiously.

"I have some business to take care of," she told me, sounding slightly annoyed. I knew I was sounding annoying with my constant questions. I still was comprehending my freedom. One minute I'm in my cell, the next, here.

I nodded to her, slowly getting to my feet, suddenly realizing how awful I must look, let alone smell. Upon closer inspection, I realized that all my wounds were healed, really well. Despite my aches, which I guessed were from not moving for so long, I felt really good.

Slowly I walked over to them, being careful to not make any sudden movements around Amaya. Dream got onto Amaya's back and I silently followed, feeling very nervous. I wouldn't blame the tiger eagle if she felt like letting me fall off. I was beginning to feel bad about hitting Amaya.

We took to the sky, with only a small yelp of surprise coming from me, as the wind rushed past my head. As I looked around, I found that I didn't mind the height so much, or the thought of falling to my death. I was finally free!

It was about an hour before we landed again. I was feeling great, and coming to terms with the new life that I could lead now. My parents would be so proud. Dream led Amaya to a house in a small village, and I guessed that this was a fire nation village.

Once we landed, she got off and I stumbled after her. Noticing her sudden change in demeanor. Dream was just . . . focused. I found myself hesitant to voice the sudden concern I had, as I stared at our surroundings. I made it to the door before voicing my thoughts.

"Dream?"

She made a noise of acknowledgement as she fiddled with the door.

"Do you think I could find some clothes . . . that blend in more?"

Dream glanced back at me, and smiled slightly.

"We're about the same size, give or take, I might have something," she told me finally getting the door open. My brows rose and I followed her into the house. Amaya raced right past us and up the stairs.

"You live here?"

"Yes," she replied heading after Amaya. "Stay here, I'll bring you some clothes."

I did as I was told and waited. Upstairs I could hear the sounds of a door opening and the scratching of claws . . . which was probably Amaya running around. Other than that the house was generally silent.

Shouldn't there be a parent here? A sibling? I began to wander around the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary. A table with wilted flowers, a little dust gathering here and there. Dream returned with a bundle of clothes in her hand, which she handed to me.

"These should fit."

I took the clothes with a grateful smile, going into the other room to change. I peeled off my older clothing and put on the new outfit that Dream had given me. Purple. I looked myself over, pulling my hair out of my face in one long braid and smiling.

It felt odd to smile again.

Almost like it didn't fit.

Turning away I opened the door and went back out to the main room. Dream was in the kitchen looked around. She turned towards me, before I had the chance to speak.

"You look good," she said. I offered a smile, rubbing my wrists. Her eyes followed the movement but she said nothing.

"Thanks, these are really nice," I told her. She waved at me turning back to the cupboard.

"It's nothing really." She sighed. "I need to head into the village and pick up some food so that we can eat tonight."

"Okay," I replied, following her to the door. Dream turned to me and shook her head.

"No, you stay here with Amaya," she said sternly. I was about to protest when I saw her frown deepen. This was not a question. I was certainly fine with it, but the little voice in my head was not liking this command.

I hated being told what to do.

Amaya came forward, rubbing her face into Dream's legs and whining. Dream got to her knees and rubbed the tiger eagle's head, with a smile.

"I need you to stay here with Kira, Amaya. I need you to protect her for me," she told her. Without another word Dream stood and opened the door. "I'll be back later." Then she shut the door behind her. Amaya whined again, going to the door and sitting expectantly by it for the return of Dream.

But I had a bad feeling. I had seen the look in her eyes. It was the same look my Uncle had when he found out his wife had been killed in a Fire nation raid. The same look that he had before he went and got himself killed in revenge. Dream had that same calm, and determined look, masked by a face of content and peace. My Uncle had been the only person that I had really cared about, until I ran away.

But I waited a few more moments. Amaya rested her head on her front talons, looking miserable. Finally I stepped forward.

"C'mon, girl, let's go after her," I told Amaya. She scramble to her feet and shot out the front door the moment I opened it. Even if I didn't know Dream that well, she had saved me. And, I wanted to help her.


	3. Prison

**Chapter 3: Prison.**

I blinked my eyes as I woke up to see guards with fire-whips looking closely at me. I moved to get up and found I couldn't because of all the chains. I looked around and saw a thing of water not too far away. I licked my lips as I realized how thirsty I was. I moved to get closer to the water and whimpered as the chains dug painfully into my skin.

"Not so big and bad when your precious water is gone huh waterbender?" One of the guards said to me as I kept trying to get the water. He laughed at my feeble attempts and moved to kick the water over.

I whimpered as I saw the water start to sink into the ground. I wrestled with the chains and finally let my head fall to the ground as I gave up.

"Pathetic. After what I heard, I hoped you would be more of a challenge." The guard said. I looked up at him and blinked as I noticed he didn't have a helmet on like the rest of them.

"Welcome to the Boiling Rock waterbender. I'm the warden. I do hope you enjoy your stay here...though I doubt you'll be here long, seeing as how I've been ordered to not give you any food or water." He smirked as he turned to leave. He looked back at me. "Enjoy your last week of living."

He left with two of the guards as three were left to watch me. I closed my eyes sleepily as I thought of how happy I really was. I had killed my mother, gotten revenge for my dad, made sure Amaya and that girl, Kira, had gone to help the Gaang, and with me dying, there will be no more bloodbending.

I still remembered the way mother used to torture me into learning.

"_Dream! Make that duck/turtle eat its baby!" My mother screamed at me._

"_What?! Why? She didn't do anything to me!" I said back to her._

"_Dream do it or I will kill Amaya!" She screamed at me as she bended Amaya into an uncomfortable position. _

_I cried silently as I made the duck/turtle eat her baby. My mother let Amaya go and I ran over and hugged her._

"_You are weak! You'll never be able to do anything if you don't stop having feelings!" My mother screamed at me as she tore Amaya from my grasp and stuffed her in a cage. "You won't see Amaya until you can learn to show no emotion!"_

"_Amaya!" I cried out as my mother walked away with her._

I also remember the way she would bloodbend me when the full moon was out. She would make me do horrible things, and then made sure I wouldn't show any emotion, because she always had the threat of taking Amaya away.

I smiled as I remembered the day I had gotten Amaya. It was my 10th birthday...

"_Dream?! Dream! Come out here and get your present!" I heard my father yell from outside. I ran down the stairs and out the door. He had something fluffy in his arms and he knelt down as i came closer._

"_It's a tiger eagle." He said as he opened his arms so I could see the animals body. "Someone sold her to me last week. I had Jim-Jim hold her for me. She's only 3 weeks old. But she's all yours." He said as he moved her into my arms._

"_What's her name?" I asked my dad as I looked her over._

"_Well what do you want to call her?" He asked me as he petted her head._

"_I don't know...ask me tomorrow." I said as I usually did when someone asked me a question. He laughed and patted my head as we walked inside the house._

_That night it was raining and a flash of lightning went across the sky. I woke up to the tiger eagle shivering and trying to get onto the bed. I picked her up and laid her next to me as I petted her head._

"_Shh. Shh. It's okay." I said as I felt her calm down. We fell asleep and in the morning I told my father I wanted to call her Amaya, a name that means night rain. He smiled and said it was a wonderful name._

_The next month I woke up to find my mother crying in the kitchen. I climbed into her lap and asked her what was wrong. She patted my cheek and said my father had gotten struck by lightning, and that he was dead. After that both me and Amaya were afraid of lightning._

_It wasn't until I was 15 that I learned that my mother had lied to me. She was yelling at me to bloodbend Jim-Jim into killing himself. I cried as I remembered all the times Jim-Jim had watched me while my parents went out. _

_Since it was a full moon my mother was able to bloodbend me into an uncomfortable position. I fought against her and was able to sneak into her mind. I saw her memory of killing my father by using the same position. I gasped and quickly left her mind._

_I then used my newfound anger into making Jim-Jim kill himself._

I frowned as I remembered that I had to wait until the Gaang showed up to free the village from my mother. I remembered one of the guards saying that they were taking her to the firelord prison. I thought the prison they were talking about was the one where the firelord lived nearby...the one I found Kira at...but I found out yesterday that they had just taken her to the town prison. I smiled evilly as i remembered yesterday...

_The day had started off normally. I had gotten Kira back to normal, we had flown back home, Amaya was happy. But then I told Kira to stay at the house with Amaya while I went into town to get food._

_I guess I had made Amaya nervous because she followed me, with Kira following her._

_I went to the prison and I pulled the water out of a nearby barrel. I used it to choke a few guards near me. I kept walking along killing anyone who tried to get in my way. I only stopped when I recognized my mother's heartbeat coming from a cell with guards all around it. I shot ice daggers at the guards and bended the blood out of them, killing them instantly._

_I grabbed the key from a guards dead hand and unlocked my mother's cell. She looked up and smiled happily at me._

"_Dream. Baby. I knew you would come." She said as she moved into a sitting position. I walked slowly towards her and took out my fathers favorite gem. It was a gem with a fire-lily on it. He had gotten it for my mother the day she killed him. I tossed it up and down as I watched her with my blue eyes slowly turning the color of blood._

_She gulped as she knew that when my eyes get like that that I was about to blood bend, and i was going to bend hard._

"_Dream. W-What's wrong?" She asked me in a sugary sweet voice._

"_Oh I don't know mother, why don't you ask dad?" I looked to see her sweet face falter. "Oh that's right you can't. Hmmm...maybe that's because you killed him?"_

"_Dream, what are you talking about?"_

"_Don't play dumb with me!" I said as I used the blood from the guards to undo her chains. I bended her into a standing position and glared at her._

"_Don't you dare play dumb with me. I saw your memory. i know what you did. But I don't get why you did it. Why?!" I asked her._

"_Because he was firenation! Think of what the firenation did to us Dream!"_

"_No! They did that stuff to you! Dad loved me! Everyone thats firenation I know loved me! The only reason they hate me now is because I'm related to you! I hate myself because you're my mother!" I yelled at her._

"_How dare you! You little witch!" She screamed at me as she tried to break free of my grasp on her blood._

_I smiled evilly as I made her kneel before me. I walked behind her and bent her head backwards as i moved the gem onto her forehead._

"_Don't worry. This painful curse of bloodbending will die with me. Dad will finally be at peace. Good bye mother. Have fun in the next life." I said as I pushed the gem into her forehead and bended all her organs into different shapes. I pressed my fingers to her head as I bended all the blood out of her brain. I walked away and heard her drop to the floor._

_i looked up to see Kira looking at me with a horrified expression on her face._

"_Why are you here?! You should be at home! Hurry up and leave!" I shouted as I pushed her out of the cell. I blinked as I heard guards running towards us. I looked around and saw Amaya looking at mother's dead form in the cell._

"_Amaya! Amaya I need you to get Kira away from here! She can't go back to prison. And I can't let them kill you." I said to Amaya as I grabbed her head and looked into her eyes. She made a noise of disagreement as she flapped her wings in anger._

"_Kira get on Amaya." I said looking over my shoulder at her._

"_But-" _

"_No buts!" I screamed at her as I bended her onto Amaya's back. "Amaya. look at me. I love you, but I need you to leave me here. I need you to get Kira to the Gaang." I kissed her head as I made a picture of the Gaang come from my mind to hers. She whimpered and I made an image of the Western Air Temple go into her mind as well. "They will be there. Please Amaya. I know it hurts." I said to her._

_She licked my cheek and pressed her face into my chest as she made a pained noise. I kissed her head once more as i bended her into running out of the building. I ran after her and let the tears fall as I saw her flying away._

"_Grab her!" "No! Shoot her with sleeping darts!" I looked back to see guards piling from out of the building at about ten of them taking out dart launchers. They all blew into them and I felt ten pinpricks along my body. i blinked sleepily and fell to my knees. I looked up once more at the sky as I heard the guards move towards me. I smiled as i saw my dad's face smiling at me. And then the darkness took me..._

I yawned and opened my eyes to see new guards posted around my cell, I must have fallen asleep. I looked around and noticed that there was no water or food anywhere. _He was telling the truth. Good..._I thought to myself as I wondered what to do.

I closed my eyes and focused on the beating hearts I could hear from a few floors down. I moved my powers to get a better range and tightened my eyes as I felt a familiar heartbeat walking among the prisoners and guards. I focused it and growled as I recognized Sokka's heartbeat. _Damn it. He's probably here to get me out...wait...he's following after some girl..._ I followed his heartbeat as he moved throughout the building. I loosened my focus on him and focused on both him and the girl.

_Oh, that must be the girl Sokka was thinking about during the invasion. Yep. It's her. _I thought to myself as I felt their heartbeats jump up as they kissed. I felt Sokka's jump up and I loosed my focus again as I moved to the outside of the cell.

_Zuko?! Huh, they must have accepted him. _I thought as I felt Zuko fight with a female guard, and then felt him get taken down by Sokka. I felt Zuko being taken to a room. A room that was under mine! _He's going to be killed! _I thought to myself as I focused on the warden's mind.

I opened my eyes and narrowed them at one of the guards. I focused on her and made her hit the other guards.

"Ow! What was that for?!" One of the guards asked her.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened!" She said as she looked around with fearful eyes.

I blinked my eyes as I made one of the male guards start banging his head into the wall.

"Ahh!" The girl screamed as I made her start dancing with the other guard, while the one still banged his head on the wall.

I closed my eyes as I focused on the heartbeats below me. I smiled as the warden looked up and then walked out of the room with his two guards. I felt them run up the stairs and into the room with my cell. I opened my eyes and looked at the warden.

He looked fearfully at me as I made the two new guards dance around him. I smirked at him.

"Don't underestimate a waterbender. We've been known to do whatever it takes to survive." I said as I made all of the guards move towards him.

"What do you want?" He asked me as the guards moved closer.

"I want that boy, Zuko, to stay alive." I said to him.

"No."

I moved the guards closer and jumped their heartbeats up as they opened their hands and fire started to bloom.

"Alright! I promise I won't kill him." The warden said as he looked at me.

"Good." I said as I loosened my hold on the guards.

He and the guards, all of them, left the room and locked the door. I let my head fall down as I breathed heavily. I blinked sleepily, surprised at how little energy I had.

I guess I fell asleep because the next thing i wake up to is a guard standing close to my cell with water.

"Dream...?" I blinked again as the guard takes off his helmet. I smiled as I recognize him.

"Sokka." I say as he unlocks the cell and moves inside. He kneels down beside me and I pretend drink up the water gratefully.

"Dream, I found out from a guard what happened. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Sokka, would you have let me come with if you knew the truth?" He turned his head away. "Exactly. You would have given me to the guards as well. But now you don't have to worry about it. Come next week I should be dead."

"What?!"

"They don't feed me, or give me water. But don't worry about it. I want to go to the next life." I said as I smiled at him.

"Why Dream?"

"Because I'll be with my father, and bloodbending will die with me." I said as I blinked my eyes sleepily.

"But Dream, you can still live, you just can't bloodbend anyone."

"No Sokka. It's not right. I wouldn't be able to stop myself from bloodbending."

"But you stopped yourself while you were with us for those few days."

"Yeah, and it took all my willpower to do so."

"Dream, please. The Gaang would be horrified to hear that you killed yourself."

"Not killing myself, the warden is killing me." I said as I tried to move away from him.

"But doing nothing is the same as killing yourself!" Sokka said as he helped move the chains so I could sit up.

"Is not..." I replied sleepily.

"Dream. I'm going to get you out of here."

"No." I said as I looked at him sleepily.

"Dream. You need to get out of here. This place isn't good for-"

"You don't know what's good for me!" I screamed at him as my eyes shot open and I bended him into standing up.

"Dream...please..let me help you..."

"No! I deserve to be here!" I screamed as I bended him into leaving my cell. I made him lock the cell back up, and then I made him walk out.

"Dream!" He shouted at me as I made him walk down the stairs. I made him go into the crowd of prisoners and guards. I let my control on him slip as i spit out the water and laid my head back on the wall of my cell.

_Mother died last week, or was it the week before? I can't remember. All I remember is that she killed dad, so I killed her. But now I'm caged up. With fire nation thieves, war prisoners, and the guards watching my every move. I guess I deserve to be here, I'm just happy that Kira got away with Amaya. I hope they take care of each other. I also hope dad is proud of me. I think he would be...I hope so..._

I suppose I'm losing my mind now. Slowing dying from the effort of keeping Sokka away from my cell, and from making sure both him and Zuko were okay. All without having any water or food. Of course I could always make a guard feed me..but that would defeat the purpose of being here. I was here so I could die. Nothing else...

When I next woke up there was a large bell tolling above me. I groaned and made my bending go out to what was going on. I feel the boiling water, but there were heartbeats in the water? No...three heartbeats above the water...in one of those stupid coolers. And they were terrified...they were quickly being dragged back to the prison...towards where the warden was standing, yelling at everyone.

I focused my bending on the three people moving along the wall of the prison.

_Sokka, Zuko, and that one girl. _I focused on Sokka's mind and gasped when I realized they had tried to escape. But they had failed...and that was why there was all the commotion. I moved to stand up and groaned as the chains dug into my skin.

_Wait Dream, think about this for a second. If you help them, there's a possibility that they'll end up taking you with them. You promised yourself you would die here, and then join your father in the next life._

I sighed and laid back down as I realized my thoughts were correct. If they wanted to get out of here, they would have to do it alone.

"No man. I'm not doing this. I've seen what she can do."

"So have I. But she hasn't had any food or water for almost a week. She's too weak to do anything. Now either you hold her, or I tell your wife what you did with that one prisoner."

"Fuck you man." I felt myself being picked up and moved into a sitting position. I felt my pants being pulled off and my legs moving apart.

_What...What are they doing...?_

"Get ready, this might hurt just a bit." The guy holding me whispered into my ear.

_Get ready for wh- _My thoughts got cut off by a penis entering my sex roughly. I whimpered and fought against the guy holding me.

"Shit man! She's waking up!" The guy holding me said as he tried to move away.

"I'm not done yet. Now hold still you little bitch." The guy inside me said. I gasped and whimpered as he pressed his hand full of fire on my thigh. He moved his fingers along my stomach towards my sex, burning me. He laughed as I whimpered and tried to fight against them.

But he was right...I was too weak to do anything...and like I really wanted them to stop...I was going to die anyways..may as well let them have a little fun...

"That's a good girl." The guy holding me said as he felt my body going limp. He moved his hand under my shirt and stroked my chest.

"Al-almost there...Fuck yes!" I whimpered as I felt something wet go inside me. The guy pulled out of me and placed his hand above my sex. He burned me one last time and pulled my pants back up. The other guy fixed my shirt and they finally left.

I willed my body to move the cumm out of my body and finally pass out when his dirty semen came out of me.

I woke up to the sounds of people talking below me. I moved into a more comfortable position (avoiding my tender sex area), still with those stupid chains attached to me, as I widened my bending. I felt two teenage female heartbeats, and four adult male heartbeats. I blinked as I recognized her from the invasion as Zuko's sister, Azula I think her name is. I groaned as i thought about how she would affect Sokka's escape plan, if he even had one.

I felt the females leave the room and I looked up to see my cell door, and the room door opening. I tensed up, ready to see the warden, or a guard at any moment. i waited a few moments...and still...nothing. I suddenly heard the sounds of people shouting, and fire being thrown around.

I tried to move again and growled as the chains dug, once again into my skin. I flicked my wrist as I pulled a waterwhip out of the air and made it undoing the chains from around me. I stood up and shook the chains from my body as i moved on unsteady feet towards my one window. i looked down to see a prison riot going on. I blinked as I saw a girl jump over my window and continue up the wall. _It's that one girl, Sokka's girlfriend. They must be escaping._

I heard the pounding of feet and turned to see a flash of pink and black run past my room. I quickly ran out of my cell and saw the two female run up the stairs. I moved to follow them and fell to my knees. I shook the dizziness away as i felt some water near me. I moved my hands toward it and smiled as the water moved around my hand. I quickly made the water enter my mouth, I drank it deeply and felt energy come quickly into my body. I made the rest of the water turn into a kind of tornado thing, and I rode it up to the top of the building. I made the water break open the top of the building and I landed on the roof and looked around.

I frowned as I saw the two females rushing towards the gondola that Sokka and Zuko were trying to escape on. I moved closer to where the lines were and watched them fight for a while, deciding not to interfere unless they started to lose.

"Cut the line!" I looked down slightly to see the warden leaning out of the window. I saw him be dragged back and looked at the guards in front of me. I waited until the two females, Azula and Ty Lee, had jumped to the other gondola before I attacked.

I quickly ran at the guards and made the boiling water hit him in the face. I pushed him away from the line and froze the other guards to the wall. I turned to the two other guards and started to fight them, water against fire.

"That's...Dream!" I heard Zuko say. I looked over at them and saw Sokka moving to come help me. I flicked my wrists making some of the water come up and push the gondola faster away from the prison. I felt a girl running towards me and looked over to see her jump over me and throw daggers at some guards, pinning them to the building.

"Saving your boyfriend?" I asked her as I knocked a guy away from her.

"Ex-boyfriend. How about you?" She asked as she stuck a dagger into the female's outfit pinning her to the ground.

"Making sure my friends get free." I said as jumped over her and froze a guard to the ground. We both looked over at the sound of the lines stopping. We looked up and saw that Sokka, Zuko, and everybody had gotten away safely. We looked at each other and both let our hands fall to our sides.

I felt guards take my hands and I stood up straight as Azula walked over with Ty lee following her. Azula blinked at me and smiled evilly as thoughts ran through her head of what to do with me. She looked at Mai and her smile immediately vanished. They looked at each other for awhile.

"Leave us alone." Azula said and the guards moved away from Mai. They pulled me to the wall and we turned to watch the scene play out before us.

"I never expected this from you. What I don't understand is why? Why would you do it? You know the consequences." Azula said to Mai as they faced each other.

"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. I love Zuko, more than I fear you." Mai said with a straight face.

"No you miscalculated! You should have feared me more!" Azula said as she moved into a firebending position. Mai got into a fighting stance but blinked in shock when Ty Lee hit Azula a few times. Azula dropped and Ty Lee ran over to Mai and pulled on her arm. Guards quickly surrounded them and the guards loosened their hold on my arms.

"What do you want us to do with them princess?" One of the guards asked her.

"Take them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again, and let them rot!" Azula screamed. She looked over at me and smirked. "I'll deal with the peasant myself."

My eyes narrowed as I saw images of ways of torturing me flash across her mind. I flicked my wrists and water grabbed both of my guards and moved them away from me. I jumped on the water and looked down at Mai. She shook her head at me and I nodded, understanding that she wanted to deal with her crime.

"Sorry Princess, I'm not one for torture." I said to Azula as I rode the water away from the prison. I jumped from the water and landed heavily on hard rock. I shook my head and coughed lightly as the energy drained from my body.

"Dream!" I heard someone shout. I looked over to see Zuko and Sokka running towards me. Zuko picked me up and he and Sokka ran to the big airship that they were getting on. Zuko raced down the hall of the ship and opened a door. He laid me gently down on the cold metal floor and moved to start the airship up.

I heard more people come into the room and felt a hand on my forehead.

"Sokka she won't last long. She has no energy left, and she has wicked burns across her body." Said a female voice.

"She has to last until we get to Katara. Then Katara and maybe Aang can heal her. Zuko! Make this thing go faster!" Sokka shouted out.

"I don't know how! I've only worked my war-balloon." Zuko shouted back.

"Here, let me and dad try. You help Suki take care of Dream." Sokka said as I heard him stand up and move away.

Another person took his place and gently touched my cheek. "Dream. You have to stay awake, okay? Just, just talk to me okay? Tell me about Amaya."

I smiled slightly as I realized that Zuko had remembered my pet, but then I remembered that I would probably never see her again. My smile vanished and my eyes started to flutter closed.

"No! Zuko keep her awake! If she falls asleep we may never get her back!" I heard Suki shout. Then my senses started to fade. I blinked my eyes open and smiled at Zuko sadly.

"Tell Amaya I said I love her, and tell the Gaang that I said thank you for freeing my village from my mother..." I said softly as my eyes closed and darkness overwhelmed me.

"Katara! Katara! We need your help! It's Dream, she's dying!" I heard Sokka shout out as my body was moved quickly.

"Oh no...hurry up, get her into the water." I heard Katara say, then I felt my body become very light. I heard a whimper and a wet nose pressed into my face. _Amaya. _I thought happily as she moved into the water with me and supported my body with her back. I felt a pair of hands touch my face and heard a girl weeping beside me.

"Katara, Katara you have to save her. She can't die. She saved me Katara!" I tried to open my eyes as I recognized Kira's voice. I inwardly groaned as my body wouldn't let me do anything but lay there, probably looking as if I was dead.

"Kira I'll try my best. But I really need a healer right now, and if you're not up to it, then leave. Go find me Aang. He'll be able to help." I heard Katara say in her motherly stern voice. It was then that my senses started to fade, and the last thing I heard was Amaya's whimper and howl of pain and sorrow as my body started to become cold...


	4. Healing

**Chapter four: Healing**

**Kira P.O.V.**

I admit that I wasn't too thrilled by the fact that I was being told to leave if I couldn't keep my cool. Taking a deep calming breath, I counted to three, closing my eyes before turning to her with a determined look.

"I can help," I told her. Katara gave me an unsure look, and I knew she was doubting my resolve, but I knew I could hold it together for now. Later, I wasn't so sure. But Dream had helped me, and seeing everyone so desperate to save her, helped calm me. Dream was important to them, I was just some new addition to their little group. A helpless, whining addition. That and Zuko looked like he could not bear to see her die.

"Help hold her up," Katara instructed, "we can't let her drown."

Carefully I raised Dream's head, from Amaya's back so that the water gently lapped at the base of her neck. Amaya whined again, distressed that her master was hurting. Beneath Dream's eyelids her eyes moved rapidly, like someone in deep sleep. Her breathing was in shallow gasps.

Katara raised her hands over Dream's chest, the water bended around her hands changing to a blue glow. Then she lightly pressed them against the fabric and Dream shuddered. Amaya whimpered again, Katara's forehead broke out into sweat.

Just from that I could tell, her wounds were more life threatening than I had originally thought. Panic flared again in my chest, and I struggled to swallow it. My eyes rose up to meet Katara's blue ones, and I knew she needed help.

"Zuko!" I called to where the firebender waited where it was dry. I had a moment where I was tempted to roll my eyes at his typical firebending actions. "Get in here and help!"

Without any hesitation he came forward. Easily coming to my side and and looking expectant for instruction.

"Hold her head, I need to help Katara," I was surprised at how level my voice sounded. He nodded. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, and when I had first met him, he had made me uneasy. The whole being captured and held by firebenders still fresh in my mind and all, ya' know.

He slid his hands under her head, and I moved towards Katara. We faced each other, Dream in between us. Around us Aang, Sokka, Toph, and that weirdo Haru with that mustache thing going on with his face . . . his father Tyro, Teo, Duke, and Katara's father, looked on nervously.

"Okay," I breathed, mostly to myself. "I'm ready."

"You know how to heal?" Katara questioned.

"Yes, a little, enough to work," I admitted. I never really had formal waterbending training. Katara nodded. Time was ticking. She raised her hands again, and I mimicked her actions. It couldn't be that hard, right?

Like how waterbending came easily to me, healing did too. I just never expected that it felt so draining. I instinctively felt her pulse beneath my fingers, I hoped it wasn't a form of blood bending. But her pulse was irregular, faint, and there was little time.

It was almost other worldly the way I knew which parts were damaged, the bruising, the stressed bones. But there wasn't enough between Katara and I to fix everything. Sweat dripped from my brow, and my knees felt weak. I glanced at Dream, seeing Zuko gently holding her head and whispering to her as her face took on the look of pain. But her eyes were still shut.

Parts of his words drifted to my ears, "- c'mon Dream, you can pull through this, your friends need you -"

I returned back to my work. We managed but, by the end both of us were tired, and Dream was starting to look better. Her skin was returning to its once untouched peary complexion. The bruises were still there, she would no doubt feel stiff when she woke up, but she was out of danger.

I could breath a sigh of relief. Dream would be okay for now. She wasn't going to die. And just like that, I felt the tears coming. Relief tears. We lifted Dream out of the water and took her to an empty room, laying her down on the bed there. Amaya jumped onto the bed and laid down with her head against Dream's chest. Katara tucked the blanket around them, and sat with a sigh on a stool near her bed.

"She'll be okay," she said almost to herself. A yawn crept from my mouth.

"Healing takes a lot out of you," I commented.

"For not being able to heal, you sure handled it well," she said somewhat suspiciously. I shrugged, trying not to let her see how tired I really was. Zuko sat on the other stool, glancing at us with a look of annoyance.

"I'll watch Dream," he said, "you two can go rest."

Katara's eyes narrowed.

"Don't try anything funny, Zuko," Katara hissed. "Dream means a lot to us."

"You think I want to?" he snapped.

"Woah! Woah!" I cut in. "Dream needs to rest, lets fight later okay?"

Katara sent Zuko one last seething glare before storming from the room. I sighed, and glanced back at Zuko and Dream.

"Just come get us if she wakes," I said before leaving the room also. Another yawn escaped my lips, as I made my way back to the main area.

"You alright?" a voice asked cutting through my dreary thoughts. I stopped, and turned. A groan built up in my throat.

"I'm fine, Haru," I said annoyed. The boy was relentless.

He came and stood in front of me, looking down at me, with his towering height. Part of me felt uncomfortable at how close he was standing, another treacherous side thought otherwise. I smashed it like a bug and glared up at him.

"You look tired," he said kindly.

"You have something on your face," I replied nonchalantly, turning and walking away. Haru groaned and quickly fell into step beside me.

"Before everyone made fun of my lack of facial hair," he told me. "Now its all you seem to harp on me about."

"Me?"

Haru nodded, "hm."

"I hardly know you, Haru," I reminded him. "Lets keep it that way." I sincerely hoped that he got the hint. I was focused on helping my new friends and getting home. I didn't want Haru getting in the way of that.

"Well, let's not," he said. I groaned out loud this time.

"Haru-"

"Just let me be your friend, Kira," Haru pleaded, grabbing my arm and stopping me. I flinched, hands finding my wrists and rubbing them. He momentarily looked abashed. "Get to know me first."

"Haru, I don't think-"

"Please?" How is it possible to say 'no' to that? His brown eyes looked liked melted pools of chocolate, and his face was like an open book. I sighed. Annoyed that he wouldn't leave me alone. He was weird and I wanted to be left alone. Jaw clenched I looked away.

He was nice enough. And he was only asking for friendship. It wouldn't hurt to have a friend like him, despite how much he annoyed me. Especially that stupid mustache.

"Fine. Friends. That's it," I told him.

Haru's face lit up. Before I had a chance to react, he was hugging me. I tensed up, coughing slightly. Haru let me go, embarrassed.

"Right. Sorry, Kira," he said. I smiled, even though it felt a little forced.

"Good, well, I need to catch a little shut eye, so that when Dream wakes . . ." I trailed off. Haru smiled at me, walking away but still facing me.

"Have a good nap, Kira!" he called, before turning away.

It better be a good nap, after today's events.


	5. Alive

**Chapter 5: Alive**

_**Thumb...Thumb...Thumb...**_

_Amaya...I'd know that heart beat anywhere..._

_**Thumb...Thumb...Thumb...**_

_Wait...I hear her heartbeat..but shes not dead..._

_**Thumb...Thumb...Thumb...**_

_That must mean I'm alive..._

_**Thumb...Thumb...Thumb...**_

_No! I wanted to die! Damn them!_

I reached out my senses from Amaya's heartbeat to around m. _No one near. Good._

I opened my eyes slightly as I looked around. Not in the prison...in a room...a fairly large one at that...with expensive looking things in it...

Amaya blinked open her eyes and yawned at me. I smiled and petted her head as I slowly stood up. I looked at myself and smiled as I saw that I was almost healed.

I reached up and felt my hair in a tight braid going down my back. I sat on the bed as I tried to undo the braid that was causing me to have a headache.

"Let me help." I looked and saw Zuko standing in the entrance to my room, wearing pants but no shirt and his hair down. I slowly nodded and moved so he could sit on the bed behind me. He sat down and started undoing my braid. I sighed happily as the last knot was pulled out.

"Thank you." I said to Zuko as I moved my hair over my shoulder and started to finger brush it.

"No problem..." He mumbled.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I finger brushed out all the little knots in my hair.

"Dream...Why?" Zuko asked breaking the silence.

"Because Zuko."

"Because why?"

"Because no one should be forced to do anything..and with me alive there's always that possibility that its going to keep happening."

"Dream. That's why you learn to control it." He said as I felt him staring at my back.

"Zuko...it's not something you can control. Its an animal instinct to survive...and the only way to get rid of it is for me to die." I said as I looked over my shoulder at him.

"No Dream. You don't have to die. You can learn to control it. I can help you." He said as he moved his hand to rub my arm.

I shivered at the light touch and looked away from him.

"How long?" I said after a moment of silence.

"A few days...your injuries were life threatening...it took all of Katara and Kira's abilities to get to how you are right now." He said looking me up and down.

"Shouldn't have even tried..." I mumbled as I moved to pet Amaya's head.

"Of course they tried. They care about you. We all do."

"Why Zuko?! You don't even know me!" I growled at him as I turned to face him.

"Because you're confused. Just like me."

"I am not confused. I did what I wanted to do, well...almost everything. Now if you'll excuse me I'll go make someone angry so they kill me." I said as I moved to stand up.

"No Dream!" Zuko said as he grabbed my arm.

"Let me go Zuko." I said to him.

"No."

"I said let me go!" I said as I ripped my arm from his grasp and stood up.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me on the bed. We wrestled for a bit and in the end he was above me pinning me down. Both of us breathing heavily.

"Zuko. Let me up."

"Not until you promise me you won't kill yourself, or have anyone else kill you."

"Give me one reason to stay alive."

"Your friends. Kira. Amaya. Me. We all care about you."

"You don't even know me." I mumbled.

"Then let me get to know you. Let me show you that you should stay alive. And in a few months if I haven't proved to you that your should stay alive...I'll kill you myself. As a favor to you." He ended in a soft voice.

We looked at each other for a few silent moments.

"Fine. But 4 months. No more."

"No less." He said smiling some at me. I glared back at him.

"ZUKO! GET OFF OF HER! YOU DIRTY PERVERT!" I blinked and looked at the door to see Kira standing there with Katara, both of them holding bowls of water.

"Dirty Zuko!" Kira yelled as she bended the water to freeze him to the ceiling. I looked up at him and laughed.

"Ha! All powerful firebender gets taken down by a level 1 waterbender." I said giggling.

"Dream! You're awake!" Katara said as she ran over and, setting the bowl of water down, sat on the bed beside me and felt my head. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. Geez mom, go take a chill pill." I said sitting up, pushing her hand away.

"I'm just checking. Don't have to be mean..." She mumbled looking away from me. I hugged her tight.

"I know. I'm sorry. I woke up with all these sores and I was grumpy. But I'm happy that you and Kira worked together to heal me. Thank you both so much." I said looking over at Kira, who was yelling at a (still frozen to the ceiling) Zuko. They stopped yelling at each other and Kira smiled at me.

"Glad to see you're okay Dream."

"Yeah, we're all happy to see her, but can someone please GET ME DOWN?!" Zuko yelled at us.

I smiled and flicked my wrist sending the water off his body. He sighed then yelled as he fell towards the floor. I flicked my wrist again and the water slowed him down and set him gently on his feet.

"Didn't have to be so dramatic about it..." He mumbled glaring at me. I winked and blew him a kiss as he stomped out of the room.

Katara and Kira looked at me then each other. We all broke out into giggles.

"Oh it feels good to laugh again." I said as I breathed deeply, still smiling.

"Well since you feel better, do you wanna join us tonight? We're going to see a play about ourselves." Kira asked. I looked at Katara

"It's a long story." She said simply.

"Um...no thank you. I'd rather just stay here and relax." I said. After a few hours of healing me and trying to talk me into going with them, they finally left my room.

"Dream. Don't try anything. I'll be coming back as soon as the play is over, and if you're gone you're going to be in so much trouble."

"Geez dad, go tell that crap to mom." I said pushing Zuko's finger out of my face.

"I'm being serious Dream. We all just got you back, we don't want to lose you again." Zuko said looking seriously at me.

"I'll be fine, and besides, do you think Amaya would let me do anything?"

"I suppose not...alright. See you." He said as he left. Stopping to pet Amaya's head and tell her to keep me safe.

I rolled my eyes and lightly flicked water at him. "I can take care of myself."

He smiled and left with the others, leaving me with the animals. I stroked Amaya's head and walked around the house for a bit. I stopped at a room with a giant mirror in it. I walked to the mirror and looked at myself carefully.

_Geez. I look dead. It's time for a makeover. _I thought to myself as I turned away from the mirror and ran outside and gathered purple fruits and clothes.

I grabbed a bowl of water and went back to the room with the mirror. I bended the purple dye from the clothes and the juice from the fruits. I bended them with the water and added the secret flower that made it a paste. I grabbed a brush and quickly brushed my hair out. I then bended the paste into my hair in streaks. I did a few layers to make sure it would stay. I then pulled out my favorite gold ribbons and tied my hair back in two pigtails on either side of my head. I grabbed some scissors and cut my bangs to just above my nose.

I smiled at my reflection. Just then my stomach growled. I patted my belly and hissed in pain. I lifted up my shirt and blinked at the scars.

_I forgot about those...I wonder what it...looks like. _I thought to myself as I slowly undid the knot of my pants. I pulled them down and cried out as I saw '_whore_' burned into the skin just above my skin. I covered my mouth and fell to my knees as I fought the thoughts trying to get inside my head.

"_Dream. To be fully prepared for anything I need you to be able to bloodbend a person at any time. Even during sex." My mother said to me as I looked at my long time crush Mokka._

_He wasn't wearing anything except some loose fitting pants, held on his waist by some string. I felt my body start to get warm and looked at my mother as I recognized her bloodbending stance._

"_Mother, no." I said as Mokka, being bloodbended by my mother, started walking towards me, starting to undo the strings._

"_Go ahead Dream. Try to bloodbend me." My mother said as Mokka walked behind me and moved his arms around my waist._

I shook my head as I fought against the memories of how many guys my mother went through trying to get me to learn that night. And the next 2 full moon's after that...

"_Dream...why?" My best-friend Chey. I shook my head and clapped my hands together. I turned my head away as I felt his cold body falling towards the-_

"NO!" I screamed pushing the thoughts from my head as my eyes flashed red through the tears.

I wiped my eyes and cleaned up the mess I had made. After I finished that I avoided the room with the mirror and wound up in Zuko's room. I looked around and saw that Amaya was eating from a pile of meat on the floor. I walked over and petted her head as I laid down next to her.

I suppose I fell asleep because the next thing I know I'm in Zuko's arms and he's carrying me back to my room.

"No, stay with me." I mumbled after he laid me down on the bed, and turned to go away. He looked at me closely and finally kicked off his shoes and robe like cover. He laid in the bed next to me and moved the covers over the both of us. I rolled over and pressed my face into his shirt as I inhaled his familiar scent.

He froze for a few moments then finally wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. We fell asleep holding onto each other, and for once I didn't have any nightmares...


End file.
